With Christmas rapidly approaching, The Takeaway asked you to help us craft the ultimate holiday song. Listeners submitted their lyrics, and Takeaway producer Hsi-Chang Lin and former interim digital editor Ben Brock Johnson composed the music and performed it. Happy holidays from everyone at The Takeaway! (Download the song after the jump.)
Sitting on Santa Claus's lap can be be an especially daunting proposition for children who are among the 1.5 million Americans with autism spectrum disorders. However, for many parents, there may be hope this Christmas. The Ohio-based Glimcher Realty Trust — which owns 2 dozen malls nationwide — has recently started working with autism groups to offer "sensitive Santa" sessions at its malls.
Here's some uplifting news for the holiday season. A new study finds that in 2011 Americans were the most generous people in the world. The U.S. rose from fifth place on the "World Giving Index" in 2010 to number one this year. Ireland placed second, followed by Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain. What tipped the scale in the U.S.'s favor this year was not just monetary donations, but volunteer work and kindness to strangers.
For many of us, the holiday season is a time for family and celebration. But for others, it's a time for snuggling up with someone special under the mistletoe. And in honor of those folks, we bring you a very special "Remixing the Holidays" interview, with three of our favorite, and flirtiest performers. The Puppini Sisters are Marcella Puppini, Stephanie O'Brien and Kate Mullins.
_small_image.jpg "At the Metropolitan Museum, the annual Christmas tree -- a 20-foot blue spruce -- goes up in the medieval courtyard.")
There are two kinds of people: those who love Christmas movies and those who hate them. Rafer and Kristen are each one of those kinds of people. Can you guess who is the Grinch and who is little Susan Walker? Either way, both have their holiday favorites — even if they don't all have to do with Christmas. Take a listen and add your own favorites in the comments!
Ever heard of FORBS, otherwise known as the Fraternity of Real Bearded Santas? How about the IOS — the International Order of Santas? As Kris Kringle begins to show up at malls across America, The Takeaway takes a look at where these men come from. The Charles H. Howard School, founded in 1937, is the oldest continually running Santa school in the world and has trained thousands of people to stand in for the real guy when he’s too booked up. Tom Valent is the dean of the Charles H. Howard Santa Claus School, and has been a Santa for 35 years. Holly Valent is the school’s registrar.
It’s Christmas Eve morning in America, but on the other side of the world, in South Korea, the sun has already set on Christmas Eve, and "Santa Grandfather" — as he’s called in Korea — will be arriving soon with his deliveries.
A national holiday in South Korea, Christmas is traditionally a festive time for both children and grown-ups. But faced with the reality of growing North Korean aggression, we can’t help but wonder: is it Christmas as usual this year in South Korea? And how are Korean Americans coping?
Christmas is one of the busiest days of the year for the movie industry. If you're still undecided about which movie to see, resident movie buffs Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer size up "True Grit," "Little Fockers" and "The King's Speech."
When families get together for the holidays, there's bound to be tons of food, drink and cheer. But a slice of political debate often comes along with the green beans. Talking politics may be a no-go for a cocktail party, but for lots of families it's a holiday staple. Tax cuts, health care, the Tea Party: Which topics will be the hot potatoes of this year's festivities?
It’s the week before Christmas, and as usual, we’re celebrating with our annual “Remixing the Holidays” series. All week long, we’re talking with musicians, music lovers, writers, and you, our listeners, about the best songs of the season.
We’re joined by Carlos Lando, DJ and program director for Takeaway affiliate station Jazz89 KUVO in Denver. Carlos shares some of his favorite jazzy Christmas tunes.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…for Christians, anyway. But what are you supposed to do at Christmas if you’re an atheist? We talk with singer Robbie Fulks, who penned what might be country music’s first atheist-ballad: "God Isn't Real." Robbie is also a contributor to the new anthology, "The Atheist's Guide to Christmas."
Holiday dinners have another tradition that not everyone wants to celebrate: tense conversations about politics. It happened at Thanksgiving and it's likely to happen around Christmas, so we're looking at how to survive the seasonal dinner table arguments and how the issues in question have changed from last year.
Do you worry about political arguments over dinner? Do you have a strategy for surviving?
It’s the week before Christmas, and as usual, we’re celebrating with our annual Remixing the Holidays series. All week long, we’re talking with musicians, music lovers, writers, and you about the best songs of the season. Today we’re joined by best-selling memoirist Augusten Burroughs. Famous for documenting the absurdity, tragedy, and humor of family dysfunction, his books include “Running with Scissors,” “A Wolf at the Table” and a book of Christmas memories called “You Better Not Cry.”
It’s the week before Christmas, and as usual, we’re celebrating with our annual “Remixing the Holidays” series. All week long, we’re talking with musicians, music lovers, writers, and you, our listeners, about the best songs of the season.
It’s the week before Christmas, and as usual, we’re celebrating with our annual “Remixing the Holidays” series. All week long, we’ll be talking with musicians, music lovers, writers, and you, our listeners, about the best songs of the season. We kick things off with Jon Solomon. For over twenty years, Jon — who is Jewish, by the way — has been hosting Princeton University's 24-hour Christmas special on WPRB.
What would you do if a child sincerely asked you for something impossible? That's the situation Santa (and helpers) faces every year, as well as many parents. It's sometimes hard for parents to meet the most extreme requests for gifts... but it's always hard to disappoint one's kids. We get a personal story from Kim Hamilton, Takeaway listener from Lubbock, Texas, and mother of a four-year-old boy with high Christmas gift hopes.
On Monday's show, we're talking to "the real" Santa Claus and etiquette expert Peggy Post. We'll be asking them about giving during the holiday season, and we wanted to start with you: What are your gifting secrets? What is the worst or best gift you've ever received or sent someone else? You can also post your questions for Santa and Peggy Post, and we'll ask them on the air.
If Thanksgiving is a day for gratitude, Black Friday is a day for...sales! Right? Not so fast, says our personal finance contributor, Beth Kobliner. Last year, retailers were slashing prices by 80 or 90 percent, but she says bargains just aren't as big this year.
If it's the adrenalin rush of Black Friday shopping you're after, we've got some tips on how to stay sober while walking down the aisle. Our Golden Rule to follow: fifty percent off of something you don't need is not a deal.
If you love guitar solos with your eggnog and mistletoe, then you're probably familiar with Twisted Sister's holiday album "Twisted Christmas
All week long, our listeners called into 877-8-MY-TAKE and sang us their favorite Christmas tunes, and we share them with all of you.
New Movie Releases: 'Men in Black 3' and 'Moonrise Kingdom'
Is the Private Era in Space Officially Upon Us?
Why Increased Immigration is the Solution for America's Ailing Economy
The show is a co-production of WNYC Radio and Public Radio International, in collaboration with The BBC World Service, New York Times Radio and WGBH Boston.
Major funding provided by:
